The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a pump for a solid, such as particulate matter, and more particularly, to a solid feed guide.
A posimetric pump provides positive metering of solids, such as particulate fuels or other matter. For example, the posimetric pump may force the solids into a solids lock condition, with the solids keyed to a rotating part of the posimetric pump, thereby driving the solids from an inlet to an outlet in a metered quantity. At the outlet, the posimetric pump may force the solids into a solids seal condition, wherein the solids block backflow of a gas at high pressure. The performance of the posimetric pump is at least partially dependent on the intake efficiency of the solids flowing through the inlet to the rotating part of the posimetric pump. Unfortunately, existing posimetric pumps often intake solids along an abrupt path, thereby resisting solids flow and reducing filling efficiency. For example, the abrupt path may cause stationary pockets of solids, voids, or other non-uniformities, which substantially decrease the performance of the posimetric pump.